Cocktails Gone Spherical

Now that “handcrafted” cocktails have become about as commonplace as craft beer, bartenders and bloggers are looking for new ways to impress. You might think molecular mixology is gimmicky, but you gotta admit that these 8 cocktail spheres look pretty amazing.

1. Old Fashioned In the Rocks

At Grant Achatz’ Aviary in Chicago the old fashioned comes neat — very neat. Drinkers get to smash the sphere open and watch the drink explode out.

2. Spherical Pickleback

Just about every bar in Brooklyn now serves a pickleback (a shot of whiskey backed by a shot of pickle juice). Only Do or Dine—home of the foie gras donut—serves a molecular pickleback, whereby the back — the spherical ball of pickle juice — explodes inside your mouth.

3. Spheregarita

The pickleback’s sequel at Do or Dine is a spherical margarita: blanco tequila backed by a sphere made of lime, Cointreau, house ginger beer, kiwi, wasabi, jalapeño and cilantro.

4. Mojito Spheres

At the Wild Mushroom Steak House outside Dallas, Chef Jerrett Joslin serves this mojito spherification, a molecular take on the classic rum, soda, sugar and lime drink.

5. Saffron Gin Spheres

At the Fifth Floor in San Francisco, the Commodore cocktail (Clement Rum, lime, Blackstrap Gastrique, ginger ale) is topped with an absinthe spoon holding a mini-sphere of saffron, gin, campari, lavender syrup and lemon, and garnished with dehydrated aperol.